Apparatus for applying binders and the like to paper hood caps and other articles



June 3, 1930.

ATTORNEY- 00 (I\NV ENTORS M11 P- 4 sheets-she 1 v w. L. WRIGHT ET AL APPARATUS FOR APPLYING BINDERS .AND THE LIKE Original Filed Aug. 6, 1925 TO PAPER HOOD CAPS AND OTHER ARTICLES Junefi, 1930. w. WRIGHT ET AL v APPARATUS FOR APPLYING BINDERS AND THE 'LIKE TO PAPER HOOD GAPS AND OTHER ARTICLES Original Filed Aug. 6, 1925 4Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY June 3, 1930. w, wRlGHT El AL 1,760,893 APPARATUS FOR APPLYING BINDERS AND THE .TO PAPER HOOD CAPS AND OTHER ARTICLES Original Filed Aug. 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS W. L. WRIGHT ET AL APPARATUS FOR APPLYING BINDERS AND THE LIKE June 3, 1930. 1,760,893

TO PAPER HOOD CAPS AND OTHER ARTICLES Original Filed Aug. .6, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEY Patented June 3, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WIIJBUB L. WEIGHT AND LEE D.,PIERCE, F FULTON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO oswiseo FALLS CORPORATION WRK OF FULTON, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW APPARATUS FOR APPLYING BINDERS AND THE LIKE TO PAPER HOOD CAPS AND OTHER ARTICLES Original application filed August 6, 1925, Serial No. 48,564. Divided an; this application filed May 4, 1927. Serial No. 188,842.

This invention provides apparatus for applying liquid binder or the like to various articles, although in the specific example shown we utilize the apparatus in the production of stacks of binder carrying paper'material disks to form hood caps, and the objects and nature of the invention'will be readily understood by those skilled in the art in the light of the following explanation of the accompanying drawings illustrating what We now believe to be the preferred mechanical expression or embodiment of the invention from among other forms. constructions and arrangements within the spirit and scope thereof.

An object of this invention is to provide apparatus for drenching the exteriors of articles, such as stacks of disks, with liquid binder, for the economical production of articles of manufacture coated exteriorly' at least in part by the binder in solid or set form.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention consists in certain novel features, and in structural features and/0r combinations as more fully and particularly set forth and specified hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof Fig. 1 shows in side elevation apparatus for applying liquid binder to units of nested hood caps, dotted lines indicating the long train of crates therein.

Fig. 2 an end View.

Fig. 3 is a detail top plan of a crate or carrier for a number of cap units.

Fig. 4 is an end view of the crate.

Fig. 5 isa vertical section through the crate showing cooperating details of the apparatus and two cap units, one in elevation and the other in longitudinal section.

Eachpaper material disk 1, in the example illustrated, is formed with a flat top'or center and a depending annular skirt that flares or enlarges downwardly, and this skirt, that surrounds and depends at the exterior or the mouth or neck portion of the container that is covered by the cap, is utilized to secure the cap on the container and also to preferably seal the container. To this end, the skirt,

preferably the annular lower or securing portion 1 of the skirt, is impregnated or other Wise provided with any" suitable binder to render the cap self securing. The binder embodied in and carried by the skirt is designed to render the portion of. the skirt that carries the binder more or less stiff, hard or rigid at climatic temperatures as well as approX1-,

mately water and moisture proof and of substantial tensile strength, and capable of quickly setting to its normal hard condition after being rendered plastic by heat. The binder also renders the skirt portion that embodies the same, plastic or moldable when heated to a substantial temperature above climatic temperatures, so that-a cap when its skirt has thus been rendered plastic by heat, can be applied to the container to be covered, whereupon suitable mechanical or terial hood caps, with any suitable binder,- and the trade and market conditions are such that caps embodying such binder must be rapidly produced in large quantities at a low cost.

The paper material hood caps can be produced from fiat paper sheets by the use of suitable dies for by other means and then such caps can be nested to produce the nested cap units A hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings. The cap producing machinery usually draws or otherwise forms the hooded caps from sheets and generally discharges the caps tightly nested together one within the other with their creased or fluted skirts overlapping and the annular edge portion of each cap exposed for a suflicient portion of its length to receive, absorb and carry-- the desired quantity of liquid binder to pro-- vide the cap with the desired self-securing portion. However, flared paper or likematerial hood caps,'can be nested by hand to form the units, each consisting of any suitable number of hood caps.

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Each row of nested caps as a unit A, is then supplied with binder material by bringing the exterior circumferential surface of the unit into contact with a plentiful supply of liquid binder. The exterior surface of the unit is-composed of the overlapping skirts of the caps making up the unit, and hence the exposed portions of the cap skirts absorb and become impregnatedevith, and in the first instance more or less coated by the liquid.

The multi-eap unit after being thus provided with binder material is allowed to stand or cool until the binder sets hard or stitl'. The unit is then ready for the market. In this condition, the caps making up the units are frozen or secured together by the binder in the overlapping cap skirts.

The binder-impregnated cap units are supplied to bottlers or others desiring to hood cap filled containers such as milk bottles. Such bottlers are equipped with cap applying apparatus and means whereby the units are heated to render the cap skirts plastic and moldable and the caps separable for individual application to and securing on containers. The binder employed can be composed of sulphur, or various hard waxes, such as carnauba Wax, or various compositions of waxes, and natural or synthetic resins or rosins, for instance, such as set forth by patent applications and patents of the aforesaid Wilbur L. Wright, and others.

In the particular example illustrated, we show a crate 3 havin a multiplicity of parallel vertical unit tubes 4, extending therethrough and 0 en at their up er and lower ends, and all xed to and wit 1in the frame 3, that with the tubes 4, constitutes the major structure of the crate. Merely as a matter of illustration, the crate shown, provides twelve tubes 4, each formed to receive a multicap unit A, that terminates at its top and bottom ends short of the top and bottom faces of the crate. The crate can embody a greater or less number of tubes. The crate tubes 4 are preferably charged with muIti-eap units through their lower ends and hence within their lower ends, the tubes are preferably provided with spring lingers 5, having upwardly and inwardly inclined free upper ends to uphold the units in the tubes and to yield outwardly as the units, top end upmost, pushed into the tubes past the fingers. The units, after being waxed orprovided with the binder, are withdrawn through the unobstructed upper ends of the tubes 4. The

. tubes 4 are preferably of uniform maximum internal diameter throughout their lengths and this maximum internal diameter exceeds the maximum external diameter of the multica units, and means are provided to maintam the multi-cap units approximately centered within the tubes to provide an annular liquid channel within each tube around the cap unit in the tube, to be filled by the liquid binder. For instance, the tubes 4 can be provided with spaced inwardly projecting longitudinal unit centering ribs or projections (3 for this purpose.

With the crate tubes 4, loaded with multicap units in upright position with the cap skirts flaring downwardly, the hot liquid binder is flooded into the upper ends of the tubes to flow down over the units and approximately fill the tubes between the units and the inner tube surfaces and drench the outer surfaces of the units as the liquid flows down the tubes and discharges from the lower ends of the tubes. To prevent contact of the liquid with the entire top and skirt surfaces of the upper end caps of the units. conical Spreaders or hoods can be utilized to cover the top end caps of the units and expose only the securing portions of the skirts thereof, and deflect the down flowing flood of liquid binder to the spaces between the tube walls and units.

To expedite the multi-cap unit drenching operation, we provide an elevated hot liquid binder tank 7, and a heated open top receivmg tank 8, located below the upper tank 7, means, such as steam jackets, being provided to malntain the necessary binder melting or liquefying temperature in both tanks. Also, if deslred, means, not shown, can be provided for pumping orelevating liquid binder from the bottom tank to the upper tank to maintain the desired supply of liquid in the upper tank. The upper tank is closed at the bottom 7 except for vertical outlet ports 9, that are formed and arranged to register with the open upper ends of the tubes 4, of a crate, respectlvely, when such crate is properly locatedbelow the upper tank to receive the liquid blnder from such ports, each tube 4 being located under a port, and all of the tubes located over the lower tank 8, to discharge thereinto by gravity. The upper tank floor 7 is formed with ports 9, equal in number to the crate tubes and similarly arranged. so that all of the crate tubes will simultaneously receive liquid binder. The liquid blnder flow from the upper supply tank is controlled in any suitable manner, as by vertically movable conical valves 10, one for each port 9, that close upwardly into the ports and against the tank floor to stop the hqpid flow, and that move down into the tu es 4, to open the ports and permit the liquid flow. In the example shown, these ves have downwardly flaring skirts 10, to protect the to caps of each unit, as hereinbefore describe In the example shown, these valves are simultaneously opened and closed by a vertically movable common cross-head 11, from which the valve stems 12, depend through the top supply tank. This crosshead 11 can be raised and lowered to close and open the valves, by any suitable means such. as a cross shaft 14 having cam, crank or eccentric operating connection with the crosshead. The upper liquid supply tank is usually supported from and arranged a distance above the lower liquid tank about equal to the vertical length of a crate 3, and the space between the tanks is usually housed to provide a horizontal tunnel 16, open at one end for the successive reception of crates 3, loaded with multi-cap units, and horizontallycontinued in the opposite direction to its discharge end. This horizontal elongated continuation 16 of the housed tunnel beyond the upper liquid tank provides the long treatment and dewaXing chamber, and is heated to maintain the liquid condition of the binder on the cap units and is open at the bottom to a drainage trough 18, preferably heated, that discharges into the bottom liquid tank.

Suitable tracks or slideways 20,extend lon gitudinally of this tunnel throughout the length thereof and the tunnel is open at the bottom to the bottom tank and drain trough so that liquid binder can drop thereinto from the cap units in crates on the tracks.

The tracks 20, are designed to supporta crate 3, placed thereon at the receiving end of the tunnel, and to permit the crate to slide longitudinally thereof through the tunnel to the discharge end thereof.

In order to maintain binder application to the hood caps under quantity production conditions,'we preferably produce a multiplicity of'similar separate crates 3, so that the tunnel can be occupied by a row of contacting crates, each filled with multi-ca-p units, and we advance this'row ortrain of crates step by step forwardly through the tunnel, so that at each forward step, a crateyvill be positioned beneath the valves to receive liquid binder, and another crate. will be advanced from the valves toward heat and dewaxing treatment, and another crate will be presented at the discharge end of the tunnel and space will be made to receive a fresh crate of units for application of binder at the receiving end of the tunnel. We preferably provide means to automatically operate the valve opening and closing means while the crates are at rest between their steps forward and to then push the train of crates forward a'step. For instance, in front of the inlet end of the tunnel and at the receiving end of the track, we show slides 25, reciprocat ing longitudinally of the tracks, and provided with laterally projecting pusher fingers 26, pivotedto slip past a crate 3, at the receiving endof the slideway, on the backward movement of the slides and to spring in behind said crate and push the crate, and those in front of it, forward on the forward stroke of the-slides and hence feed the train of crates in the tunnel forward a step; This step by step feed is timed to operate in proper sequence with respect to the valve operating mechanism by any suitable means.- For instance, the slides can be operated by pitmen 28, pivoted thereto and having crank or eccentric connection with any suitable power transmission geared to the shaft operating the valve mechanism.

The crates of articles to be drenched with hot liquid binder, are located in the heated tunnel before arriving at the drenching station, in order to preheat such articles before the drenching operation. The caps or other articles are thus hot when'subjected to the hot binder bath, and the drenching operation is thereby facilitated and the caps are in condition to absorb a maximum quantity of, binder. The crates containing the drenched caps or other articles pass from the drenching station for the continued heat treatment in the tunnel to,cause continued flow and distribution of the binder over and in the caps and absorption of the vbinder by the fibrous material of the caps, as well as drainage of surplus binder from the caps and crates.

While we show tubes 4,-in the specified example illustrated for purposes of explanation, yet tubes are not shown for purposes of limitation but in a broad sense to indicate any suitable holder that will permit the stack of caps or other article to. be exteriorly flooded with and by the hot liquid binder.

It is evident that various changes, variations and modifications can be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and hence we do not wish to limit ourselves to the exact disclosures hereof.

What we claina is:

1. apparatus for providing the securing portions of the skirts of fibrous material hood cap disks with a binder substance or composition, a crate having tubes extending therethrough to receive stacks of hood cap disks, said tubes'arranged to receive binder in hot liquid form to drench the stocks of disks therein, each tube being open at the top and bottom for downward drenching flow of hotliquid binder therethrough.

2. In apparatus for applying a binder substance to the skirts of fibrous material hood cap disks, means to carry a plurality ofstacks of said disks, means to.drench said disks with down-flowinghot liquid binder, and means for draining said stacks and subjecting them to heat treatment.

3. In apparatus for applying a binder substance fibrous material hood cap disks, a series of separate crates, each foun ed to carry a plurality of separate stacks of said disks, a source of hot liquid binder, valve mechanism controlling and normally cutting oil the discharge thereof, and a. treating chamber, means for moving a row of such crates to successively receive hot liquid binder .t'o flood the stacksof disks therein and successively therefrom to said treating'chambe or composition to the skirts of.

4. Apparatus for applying hot liquid binder to articles, comprising an elongated heated tunnel; a conveyorfor transporting articles through said tunnel; and mechanism for exteriorly flooding the articles carried by the carrier with hot liquid binder while said articles are intermediate the length of the tunnel, whereby said articles carried by the conveyor and subjected to the interior heat of the tunnel both before and after such articles are flooded with the binder.

5. Apparatus for applying hot liquid binder to articles; comprising a series of separate crates, each formed to receive and carry a plurality of articles in spaced relation in upright positions and to permit discharge of surplus liquid binder therefrom; a guideway along which a series of said crates can be advanced; means for advancing said crates step by step along said guideway; and mechanism for simultaneously exteriorly flooding all of the articles in a crate with the hot liquid binder at a liquid binder applying station along said guideway.

6. Apparatus for applying hot liquid binder to articles; comprising a heated tun nel; a liquid binder catch receptacle below the tunnel; a carrier movable through the tunnel and formed to transport a plurality of articles to be exteriorly drenched wit-1 liquid binder, said ca'rrier fornzed to permit discharge of surplus binder from the articles into said receptacle; and mechanism for exteriorly and by gravity floodin said articles by gravity with hot liquid bin er.

7. Apparatus for applying hot liquid binder to articles; comprising a carrier having a plurality of upright parallel holders for the articles, said holders open at the top for downward passage of hot liquid binder to exteriorly flood the articles within the holders, said carrier open at the bottom for discharge of liquid binder; and mechanism for discharging streams of'hot liquid binder into said holders to exteriorly flood the articles therein.

8. Apparatus for applying hot liquid binder to the exteriors of separate groups of articles; comprising a heated chamber;

individually-complete carriers formed to abut and be pushedin succession through the tunnel; means to advance the series of carriers step by step; discharge means for discharging hot liquid binder onto the carriers in the tunnel in succession; and means for periodically operating said discharge means.

10. In combination, means for exteriorly flooding a groupof stacks of paper material hood caps withhot liquid binder; and means for subjecting said group-0f stacks of caps to heat treatment immediately before being so flooded and after being so flooded.

Signed at Fulton, Oswego County, New York, this 28th day of April, 1927.

VILBUR L. WRIGHT. LEE D. PIERCE.

means providing a plurality of hotliquid binder discharge outlets at the top of said chamber; vertically movable valves normally closing said outlets and movable down wardly in the chamber to o Jen said valves; and a series of carriers mova le in succession I to position below said outlets, each carrier 

